Forced air heater



Oct. 21, 1958 E. F. FROMME FORCED AIR HEATER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 16, 1954* as IN VEN TOR.

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ATTORN EYS 001.21, 1958 FROMME 2,856,915

' FORCED AIR HEATER Filed Feb; 16, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I v INVENTOR far F Fromme ATTORNEYS United States PatentO FORCED AIR HEATER Earl F. Fromme, Long Beach, Calif.

Application February 16, 1954, Serial No. 410,636

1 Claim. (Cl. 126-110) This invention relates to a forced air heater, and more particularly to a forced air heater especially but not exclusively of the gas or oil fired type.

The object of the invention is to provide a forced air heater which will remove all of the heat produced by the burner so that only smoke and gases will go out the flue.

Another object of the invention is to provide a forced air heater which includes a plurality of horseshoe shaped air passages that may have straight vertical surfaces or may be made of corrugated metal, the air to be heated being forced through the housing between the horseshoe or U-shaped conduits containing the hot products of combustion so that the air to be heated will pick up heat off of the conduits. V

Another object of the invention is to provide a heater than can be built quite small and wherein the heater will deliver a tremendous amount of heat and wherein the air can be caused to flow in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction.

A further object of the invention is to provide a forced air heater which is extremely simple and inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the application, and in which like numerals are used to designate like parts throughout the same:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the heater, with parts broken away and in section.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken. on the line'2--2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5--5 of Figure 3. H

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 3.

Referring to Figures 1-6 of the drawings, there is shown a heater which includes a housing that is indicated generally by the numeral 51. The housing 51 includes a front wall 52, a rear wall 53, and end or side walls 54 and 55. A door 56 is hingedly connected to the front wall 52, and the door 56 can be swung open by means-of a knob 57 whereby access can be gained to the interior of the housing. An opening or cutout 58 is provided in the housing 51 adjacent the lower end, and

the opening 58 permits air to enter the housing so that it can support combustion in a burner 63. Positioned in the housing is one or more blowers or fans 59 which may be operated by a shaft 60 that can be driven by a suitable motor 60' to direct the air to conduits to be heated and then to any suitable locality.

Arranged in the housing is a horizontally disposed plate 61 which is provided with a plurality of apertures or openings 62 through which air passes to support com- Patented Oct. 21, 1955 bustion in the burner 63. A flue or pipe 64 extends through a top wall 65 of the housing, and the flue 64 serves to carry away from the housing smoke and the like that results from combustion in the burner 63.

Positioned within the housing 51 and supported therein is a barrel or casing 72 which includes an outer Wall 73. Arranged in the casing 72 is a first set of hollow U-shaped conduits 66, and there is further provided a second set of hollow U-shaped conduits 67. These conduits 66 and 67 are arranged to receive air from the blowers 59 and the air passing through these conduits is heated indirectly by heat exchange with the hot gases passing up through the casing from the burner 63. One of the conduits 67 is interposed between each pair of conduits 66. The air inlet end 68 of each of the conduits 66 is larger than the outlet end 69, Figure 10. Similarly, in each of the conduits 67, the air inlet end 70 is larger than the air outlet end 71. The air to be heated passes from the blower 59 to a chamber or space 74 and then into the conduits 66 and 67. Some of the air to be heated may pass between the outer wall 73 of the casing '72 and a partition 77 so that some of the air can pass through a space 76 which is defined between the partitions or walls 73 and 77. This air to be heated passes through the space 76 and through the conduits66 and 67 and the heated air enters a chamber 78 and from the chamber or space 78 the heated air passes to a passageway which is partially defined by an inclined Wall 79, and

from this last named passageway the heated air can pass I out through a suitable opening in the housing 51 to a room of a building or the like. A partition 75 separates.

of the conduits 66, and the partition 83 insuresthat the air to be heated entering the conduit 66 will first pass into the inlet end 68 and then go all the way into the conduit 66 and around the partition 83 and then issue out through the outlet end 69.

Each of the conduits 67 of the second set comprisesa I bottom piece 84 and a top piece 85. The wall 73 of the casing 72 closes one side of the conduit 67, and an inner wall 86 closes the other or inner surface of each of the conduits 67. This construction provides a circuitous':or tortuous path for the hot products of. combustion generated in the burner 63 which pass up the casing The inner wall 86 in each of the secondconduits 67 defines a hollow space or passageway 87 so as to permit the hot gases to pass therethrough. Thus, in use the hot gases from the burner 63 will pass upwardly as shown in Figure 1 around the lowermost conduit 66, and then these hot gases will pass up through the space 87 that is provided within the next conduit 67, and then the hot gases pass up and surround the next conduit 66, and then through the space 67 in the conduit thereabove and this path is followed until the waste products pass out of the flue 64. Also, the air to be heated is constantly being forced through the conduits 66 and 67 and this air enters the inlet ends 68 and 70 and passes out through the outlet ends 69 and 71 whereby it can be directed to any suitable locality.

A wall 88 blocks or closes off portions of the outlet side of the casing 72 so that none of the hot gases from the burner 63 can accidentally escape from the casing into the passage 78 as the hot gases pass up through the casing.

When the assembly of Figures 1-6 is being used, the air enters the bottom of the housing '51 through the opening 58. To be used for supplying air to the burner 63 to support combustion, air is picked up in the housing from any suitable opening by the blowers 59 and the air is then forced by the blowers 59 to the space 76. Air for space heating is forced by the blowers through the conduits 66 and 67. The cold air enters the conduits through the inlet openings 68 and 70 and the hot air leaves the conduits through the outlet ends 69 and'7l and then goes to the space 78 and then out a suitable passageway and outlet opening in the housing to the room or other part of the building. Meanwhile hot gases from the burner 63 pass up through the casing 72 and pass all around the lowermost conduit 66 and then these hot gases pass up through the space 87 in the center of the next conduit 67. Then the hot gases pass all around the next conduit 66 above, and then the hot gases pass through the space 87 in the center of the next conduit 67 and this tortuous or circuitous path is followed by the hot gases as it moves up through the: casing. Finally the smoke passes out through the line 64. By this arrangement an extremely high heat exchange is etfected between the air being heated and the hot gases so that all of the heat is removed from the hot gases whereby the air will be heated with a maximum amount of economy.

From the foregoing it is apparent that a heater has been provided which will remove all heat produced by the burner so that only smoke and gases will go out the flue. The present invention is especially for use with the gas or oil fired type of burner, but it can be used with other types and all of the heat will be removed regardless of what type of unit is used to fire the heater. Although the drawings show the air flowing through the barrel or casing in a clockwise direction, the various parts of the heater can be shifted around so that the air comes in on the other side of the barrel and air will flow through the barrel in a counter-clockwise direction. If the heater is made smaller or larger the number or units or air passages on the inside of the barrel will change and the vertical sides of the air passageways can be made concave, convex, corrugated, angular or any other shape. The barrel may be positioned in a horizontal instead of a vertical position and the heater is easy to construct and can be made in any suitable size and the number of air passages can be increased or decreased as required. The air being forced around and through the barrel has a wiping action that picks up the heat off the surface of the metal as it is collected from the heat rising from the burner and with the present invention the heater can be built very small and still deliver a tremendous amount of heat.

I claim:

In a heater, a housing comprising front and rear walls, spaced parallel end walls and a top wall, a door hingedly connected to said front wall, whereby access can be gained to the interior of the housing, there being an opening in said front wall adjacent the lower portion thereof for the ingress therethroughof air, a flue extending through the top wall of said housing, a horizontally disposed plate supported in said housing and provided with a plurality of apertures through which air passes to support combustion, a burner supported on said plate for providing hot gases, said flue serving to carry away from the housing smoke and the like that results from combustion in the burner, a casing arranged in said housing and embodying an outer wall, said casing extending upwardly from said plate and surrounding said burner to receive products of combustion, first Wall means forming within said casing a first set of hollow ducts for the passage of air to be heated, second wall means forming within said casing a second set of hollow ducts, said fiuc communicating with the uppermost of the means having the gas passing therethrough, said first and second ducts having means therein for forming U-shaped passageways, means including a plurality of blowers positioned in said housing for causing air that is to be heated to be circulated through said ducts, the inlet ends of said ducts being larger than the outlet ends of said ducts, each of said first ducts embodying a horizontally disposed top memher, a bottom member and a closure wall member, each of said second ducts having a bottom and top piece spaced from the adjacent surfaces of the contiguous first ducts, means at the inner central portions of said second ducts for the passage therethrough of hot gases produced by the burner, one of said second ducts being interposed between each adjoining pair of firstducts, and a vertically disposed partition extending part of the Way into each of said first ducts.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

